Nicolas Cadena

Karlita did a fabulous job planning our unforgettable trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos. She accommodated all our family group's interests and abilities (ages 30- 65+). I appreciate that she advised us thoughtfully and raised the right questions to help us make the right choices. For example, she worked with the local guide Sebastian in Quito to provide suggestions like flipping the order of certain activities to make more sense and allow us to fit more things in a logical way. Another example was how she had hotel rooms conveniently arranged for us on the day we returned from the Amazon, so we didn't have to hang around the airport for 12 hours until our international flights home from Quito. She did not simply say yes to everything we asked for without thinking - she genuinely guided us, which is what we needed. No detail was left unthought of! Including special surprises for the special occasions on the trip.

Highlights: The GO Hotel in Quito was amazing! We especially loved our guide in Quito, Sebastian. He is extremely knowledgable and passionate about Ecuador, plus personable, friendly and fun! We also loved the staff and our local guide Cheyanne at the NAPO Cultural Center eco-lodge. Overall, Karlita was able to fit such a diverse mix of activities and parts of Ecuador into our 15-day trip without it feeling totally exhausting.

My only point of feedback: We were probably limited by our budget and availability by the time we booked (last-minute), but the only thing I would have appreciated is being offered more tiered options / operator choices for the cruise in Galapagos and eco-lodge in the Amazon, so that we could have understood the differences and chosen to upgrade to something higher-end if we wanted.

Our trip planner is Karlita
I have nothing but praises for the planning and attention to detail for this trip to Ecuador. I have such great memories. It was a fantastic vacation! Thank you Karlita. You listened and delivered. You also told us when we suggested something and you said it was too much. The trip was a great combination of history and nature. Our guide Sebastian (in Quito) was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, fun and loved to share his country’s history as well as personal. He took good care of my sisters when hiking in Antisana. He bought some local snacks for us so we could enjoy them along the drives.
In Galapagos I have no complaints about the crew, the activities or the guides. The cabins on Coral 1 are a little old and definitely use updating. A big complaint is that when the boat sailed during the night the noise from the engines was very loud in the cabins. We could not sleep. I think the ship can do something to mitigate the noise. Or for future planning we would request higher level cabins.
In the Amazon the Napo Culture Lodge was an amazing experience. I loved being in the community and watching the people. Our community guide Cheyenne was excellent - he knew the animals and spotted so many things for us.
Overall - Karlita thank you for putting together this amazing trip for us. I have no hesitation in recommending your company to my friends and family.
Thank you!

Karlita was absolutely wonderful to work with! She did a fantastic job planning this and working with us to help create an unforgettable and truly magical trip! From the get go she did a great job asking questions and listening to what we wanted and really got to know what kind of activities we would like as a family. We loved our guide in Quito, Sebastian, he was very knowledgeable and easy to work with. In the Galapagos, we saw great wildlife. The boat was quite loud and hard to sleep in the bottom area so in the future would prefer the option to have the top floor rooms but otherwise was a good experience. We ended in the Amazon and appreciated being at a lodge which was started by the community. Our local guide, Cheyenne, was fantastic and great at spotting animals and we saw a lot of incredible wildlife. We appreciated the care taken when planning and all the helpful information given in advance, especially about appropriate tipping amount as the amounts given by Karla were reasonable compared to the somewhat outrageous suggested tips given by the Galapagos. Finally, Karla went above and beyond in arranging little surprises for a family member birthday and anniversary which absolutely made our day! We had a great time and would definitely use Karla and team again for any other planned trips in the future! And will definitely recommend Karla and team to all our friends and family who are planning to visit.

We had a very nice time and enjoyed the Galapagos very much. We were met at both airports Baltra And Villamil by welcoming guides that greeted us and facilitated our transition into the next legs of our trip. The Eco guides that led our excursions were very knowledgeable and spoke English very well. accommodations , the Albermarle in Villamil and the Solymar on PTO Ayora were very nice for the most part. Upon arrival at Albermarle we found our room upstairs which were overly steep and difficult for my wife to negotiate. The first night at the Albermarle there was a fiesta for Dia De Los Muertos that was very loud until 3-4 in the morning and made it hard to sleep. The day tour to Los Tunneles was ok except the short hike to the Booby nest was inaccessible for my wife as the trail over lava and the transition from boat to lava shore was too difficult for my wife to negotiate. She had to stay in the boat while the group went ashore. The same inaccessibility of the boat small boat landing on N Seymore to explore the nesting Frigate birds and the trail over lava rocks was inaccessible to my wife. Nicholas had informed me that these excursions would be accessible for her but they proved to not be accessible for her.
There was another excursion problem in PTO Ayora. The morning of the excursion to Tortuga Bay, when the guide arrived to pick us up he had about a dozen other tourists with him and he refused to wait 5 minutes for my wife who wasn’t quite ready at 730 am the, pick up time. So they left without us. He made no attempt to facilitate us a way to catch up to them. We ultimately walked ourselves to the 300 stairs staircase up to the Tortuga Bay entry station. We climbed the stairs with difficulty and walked the 3 Km to Tortuga Bay. We enjoyed the Walk to the beautiful Bay and park. We arranged our own water taxi passage back to Ayora.
It would seem reasonable for your company to refund the costs we paid in advance for that excursion that we did not recieve.
Apparently, Nicholas, who arranged our trip itinery, lodgings and excursions according to the criteria I had carefully explained to him regarding my wife’s physical disabilities, has not actually been to these Islands nor experienced the
excursions we were booked onto. If he had he might not have booked us onto the excursions with the very small boat transitions to the difficult shore landings and inaccessible lava rock trails.
The escorted taxi ride and escort on the Itabaca Ferry and bus to the airport was nice. As my wife was leaving the Baltra airport for home I was met by the Galapagos Aggressor dive boat staff for the rest of Galapagos adventure.
Now after spending two weeks in the Galápagos Islands and enjoying them fully I’ve returned safely home. It seems your firm overcharged us considerably for the trip you arranged for us. This may influence whether I can refer your services to anyone in the future.
Sincerely,
Jim Lipow
Riverside California

Hotel Reviews

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

On the beach, near beachfront restaurants. Breakfast basic.

Authenticity & Character

Excellent room very comfortable

Location

On the beach and close to everything in town

Staff

The office was staffed except late at night to 630 in the morning.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Solymar

Galápagos

Waterfront. good breakfast poolside, harborside. One of the best in town except for maybe 2 ultra posh other hotels. Central location. We had to change to a second room upon arrival because the door knob on our original room was so loose it was about to fall off. The staff was very responsive to this issue and move us immediately.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

With a little effort the Galapagos park authorities could make the shore landing accessible for individuals with disabilities

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Tortuga Bay

Puerto Ayora

The guide would wait 5 minutes and left us behind. What a jerk

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Experience the Pristine Beauty of Galápagos Islands: Discovering an Uninhabited Island

Puerto Ayora

The walking trail proved to be inaccessible to walkers with disabilities. Too bad because a hand crew could make it accessible in short order .

Quality of Experience

Food

The walking trail

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free Morning Until Departure

Galapagos Islands

Ther was time for nothing before our departure to the airport

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Santa Cruz Island: Highlands (Plant a Tree) & Charles Darwin Research Station

Puerto Ayora

There was no tree planting and no evidence of any tree planting before our visit. But the Darwin Center is a MUST VISIT part of a visit to Santa Cruz and PTO Ayora.

Nick made the entire trip, so incredible and completely stress-free. Wherever we went, there was someone to meet us and show us where to go or take us there personally. I absolutely love this company because they allow you to cater your trip to whatever you want it to be, you can choose what type of hotel, what type of trip you want to make it. Also, we have a daughter that has celiac disease, and no matter where we went, they knew that she had to be gluten-free. Nick was always available throughout our trip for us to ask any questions and he quickly responded and I have had the same experience using this company in other countries, and it makes such a difference in making travel stress-free. I highly highly highly recommend.

Hotel Reviews

Ikala Quito Hotel

Quito

we loved this hotel, because each room had such a special theme. Our kids room was almost like being in a museum.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ikala Galapagos Hotel

Puerto Ayora

Very friendly staff, great location and clean.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Albemarle

Puerto Villamil

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Wyndham Quito Airport

Quito

It is literally across the street from the airport. The staff is beyond five star. The restaurant had great food options.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Morning Adventure to Teleferico Cablecar

Quito

it was very cloudy, and our guide decided to offer us a trip to a very beautiful church, and then we did use the Teleferico even though it was still very cloudy. I recommend going no matter what the weather is because it is such an incredible experience, even if you cannot see the other mountains/volcanoes.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hotsprings in Termas de Papallacta

Galapagos Islands

Do not miss! It is so beautiful and serene. A completely different world of relaxation.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Wildlife Encounter at Los Tuneles (Cabo Rosa)

Galapagos Islands

this was an unbelievable experience, even though it rained at the beginning. It was our first snorkeling experience in the Galapagos, and it did not disappoint. We saw blue, footed, boobies, penguins, octopus, sea lions, swam beneath us, we saw sea cucumbers the list goes on and on.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Kayaking Adventure in Tortuga Bay

Puerto Ayora

The beach will take your breath away. The walk to get there is worth it but just know that it feels like a very long way in the heat and humidity.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I will remember my time in Ecuador for the rest of my life. My guide Christian was fantastic - he knew a fact about every single plant, mountain, town that we drove past and was so helpful and always cheery. All of the accommodation I stayed in exceeded my expectations and I loved every place that I visited, particularly the Galápagos Islands. Wow, where do I begin with the Galapagos… absolutely amazing place and I wish I’d have spent longer there. I loved turning up to the airport and having a driver waiting with a sign and a smile, as well as the bus fare already covered. Having pre-arranged transport and excursions meant I could cram so much more into the short time I had but I also loved having flexibility and free time in the afternoons and evenings. Nicolas helped me organize a scuba dive for my last day in the Galapagos and stayed in touch throughout the whole trip to check on me which was great. I also loved Baños and was blown away by the scenery both there and in Cotopaxi. Well worth every penny, definitely made everyone jealous back home!